retiring soon

Hi all! 

Glad to have found you before you even get on the ship! Looking forward to cruising vicariously through you again. 

Jo 

Hi all!

Mitsugirly - so happy to have found you near the beginning of your review. Eager to hear your experiences in. Mexico. I love Mexico, especially Puerto Vallarta.

I'm doing a Panama Canal cruise that's going to five places in Mexico in November so look forward to hearing what you have to say. 

- Jo -

Hi all! 

Referring back to that TA you mentioned. I did that last April on the Dawn & because of bad weather & icebergs St John's & St Pierre- Miquelon , the 2 ports I looked forward to were skipped & we didn't even get the port taxes back! 😔 

Enjoying reading about your TA as I've done 4, 2 each way & the other way is less tiring IMO.

Have a nice weekend & stay safe 

Jo

Hi all!

Jamman - so glad to have found your review early in the story.  Look forward to your take on the Tribe cruise after reading the other live ones.

So nice you felt Kevin was there with you after getting the signs.

Jo

Hi all!  

mitsugirly - so glad to hear you're going to try a Mexican Riviera  cruise. I've only done one and it was a long time ago but I must say I really loved Puerto Vallarta, so much to see there and it's American yet Mexican so when I came home, as I was sailing solo, I told my husband he just had to see it so we went back for a week to an all inclusive. We did Las Caletas which is the daytime version of rhythms of the night and it was fun. 

On the boat ride over we saw dolphins and whales and it was a fun time with music and drinks on the boat.

 Although the West Coast water doesn't seem as beautiful as the East Coast of Mexico it's still quite nice. I love those Mexican ports and you can also see them on Panama Canal cruises and also get down to South America if you ever feel like doing that. I'm doing a Panama Canal cruise in November for the second time and it goes to five places in Mexico plus Nicaragua and San Salvador. Cartagena Colombia is also a lovely place to see, as are Panama & Costa Rica. Interesting birds and animals to see in those last two places.

Looking forward to following you on your cruise. 

By the way I'm very cautious of getting gas, watching out for the hose after your problem!!

Jo

Hi all!

Jamman - so glad to catch you at the beginning of this long cruise. I'm really interested in it cuz I'm cruising  on the Venezia in February, also on a Journey Cruise.

Nice to see Ryan again, we haven't seen him in ages, looking good.

Take care and stay safe.

Jo

2 minutes ago, leen50 said:

Are you staying in NJ to visit people? Newark can be a sketchy area. We're staying at the Comfort Inn Midtown on 48th Street NYC near the terminal. 

What part of NJ do you want to stay in?

No, it's just that my flight doesn't get in 'til late and I don't want to be taking the bus over to Manhattan that late so I'll just stay one day at the airport. It'll be okay. I've been to New York City several times, the most recent for 4 days with my friends in Queens in April, before my NCL Dawn TA.

2 minutes ago, leen50 said:

Jo, are you staying in NJ until going to the NY terminal?

Yes, I'm flying in 2 days before the cruise, staying at an airport hotel then thinking of taking the Carnival shuttle over to the pier.

Hi all!

Have any of you noticed all the Venezia TA reports? There are at least 4 of them, lots of amazing pictures & comments to come.

I'm flying into Newark & want a hotel with an airport shuttle there. Any suggestions?

Have a nice Sunday & stay safe.

Jo

Hi all!

In regards to your compensation you did much better than we did on the April 20th Dawn cruise from New York City to Southampton. We were supposed to stop in St John's Newfoundland and St Pierre-Miquelon, the two ports I was really looking forward to & they were canceled and all the compensation we got was $50 on board credit per cabin. I would have thought we should at least get the port fees back but I've been emailing Norwegian and they're not budging.

HI all!

Belle ~ enjoy your cruises & win big!

Jan ~ we're having the same kind of weather here. A neighbour had a field of Sunflowers so I asked her if she got a lot of seeds. She did, & gave me a bag of them mixed with corn kernels. The Red WInged Blackbirds & Squirrels are loving them, the Blue Jays & Squirrels loving the peanuts I buy them.

Izena ~ WTG with the weight loss!

I did good on my cruises, only gained 2 lbs in 3 weeks but since I got home & haven't been exercising due to not feeling well, & feeling really hungry, I've gained 1.6 lbs in a week!!

Chips & chocolate my downfall once more!!!

Have a nice day, stay safe & hope for better news next week!

~ Jo ~ 😊

Hi all!

Kelly ~ I was just on a 14 day Caribbean Princess cruise followed by a 5 day Carnival Sunrise & liked your comparison.Thank you for that.

I hadn't been on Princess since Oct 2008 & was pleased with their product except for the lack of towel animals & the lighting that came on when you stepped out of bed or near the bathroom at night. I really liked the International Cafe with their small bites.The medallion was neat & the free popcorn at the MUTS yummy. There were also so many free movies on the tv.

I loved all the comedy,cabin & food choices on Carnival & wished I had a few more days to sample more restaurants. Their production shows were great & we had 3 in 5 days! Princess had more individual type entertainment like singers, magicians which I don't like as much.

Both had the dreaded shower curtains!

I would cruise either of those lines again plus NCL, my main line, & Royal.

Stay safe.

~ Jo ~ 😊

HI all!

Belle ~ I just came back from my cruises late Thursday night & am still not feeling 100%. I called medical Feb 2 on the Caribbean Princess  & got cough medicine but am still coughing & now have brought it home to DH who is not impressed!

I only gained 2 lbs in 23 days so am glad of that.

I always read the thread even though I don't always post.

Take care & stay safe.

~ Jo ~ 😊

Hi all!

Ellie ~ thanks for your comments. I too stayed away from Carnival because of its party rep but found that not to be so. I don't hang around bars or the pool area so haven't seen any nonsense.

I love all the comedy, the food choices, the itineraries & cabin choices.

I have done Celebrity twice, but not since 2010! Haven't done Princess since 2008. Cruising solo I tend to choose NCL for their studio cabins.

Yes, there does seem to be cutbacks in service but an increase in fees. Oh well, it is what it is.

Have a nice day & stay safe.

~ Jo ~ 😊

Hi all!

Ellie ~ I'll be on a 14 day Princess cruise in 11 days. How did you like it compared to Carnival? I'm doing a 5 day on Sunrise the day after it.

I have a NCL TA in April then nothing 'til a RCL TA in November.

I've never done a Journey cruise so look forward to that.

Have a great week whether on land or sea, & stay safe.

~ Jo ~ 😊

Hi all!

Checking in from snowy Ontario.

I see there are now 33 excursions posted for this cruise. I haven't chosen anything yet.

Have a nice weekend & stay safe.

~ Jo ~ 😊

Hi all!

Jamman54 ~ enjoy your cruises & we will when you get back!

Stay safe.

~ Jo ~ 😊

Hi all!

jbhcw ~ the show was called Million Dollar Quartet. It was great & also had Carl Perkins if I'm not mistaken.

It would be nice to cruise with the Tribe but I have a Feb cruise booked on Venezia that I'm really looking forward. to.

Have a nice evening & stay safe.

~ Jo ~ 😊

Hi all!

Jan ~ I appreciate your post as I have the same fear when I forget a word, which seems to happen quite a bit. OTOH I think heck I'm older (76) & my brain has a lot of things to remember so can't do it all! My Mom didn't get her Alzheimers 'til about 70 & died at 75 as she had other problems. Some of her sisters got into their mid 80's with it & one of them, when hospitalized got perfume from the volunteers at Christmas, drank it & died!

Oh, NCL is the line I've sailed with most but my next cruise is Princess which I haven't sailed on since Oct 2008 so I look forward to seeing the difference. My last 2 cruise were NCL Star followed by Anthem of the Seas so I could really see the differences there.

Happy New Year to you & yours & stay safe.

~ Jo ~ 😊

Hi all

Long time lurker & liker here.

I'm booked on a Caribbean Princess cruise in January followed by Carnival Sunrise mid Feb & after reading Ceilidh1's Ruby review am looking forward to Princess food. I'm used to NCL & Carnival so it'll be a nice change.

Hogladyrider ~ sounds like your knee is coming along nicely. I've already had one replaced 10 years ago & am on the list for the other one. So hoping it won't interfere with my Nov RCL cruise as my surgeon said no travel for 3 months post surgery.😢

Hope you get back home soon.

Sid ~ enjoying your meat & other food pictures as always.

Happy New Year tribe & stay safe.

~ Jo ~😊

Hi all!

Izena ~ happy birthday & may you have many more happy, healthy ones. I'm thankful too to not have that dreaded disease that affected all my Mom's siblings & her, some for many years.

Belle ~ are any people wearing masks on the cruises?

I am in shock as I'm down 1.8 lbs & can't see why. I'll take & hope for more with my cruise being less than a month away.

Have a nice weekend & stay safe.

~ Jo ~😊

Hi all!

We had a different Christmas, just the 2 of us & a big ham. At 6:30 pm the power went out & didn't come back 'til 1:00 am today! Luckily we have a propane furnace & stove so were reasonably warm & fed. We also have a little generator for the really important things, like internet & tv, lol!!

Just a month 'til my next cruise, which I'm really looking forward to.

Have a great day & stay safe.

~ Jo ~ 😊

HI all!

I haven't checked in for a few weeks but have been weighing & reading.

I'm up 0.6 from the beginning of the month & wish I had the determination to lose weight before my January 27th cruise. I'm on the list for a knee replacement next year & the doctor wants me to lose some weight. I asked him for advice & he said if it tastes good, spit it out!

Belle ~ hope you're having a great time on your cruises, winning big & keeping the weight off.

Jan ~ good going not gaining on a cruise! Which line did you sail on?

Izena ~ glad you found the stray's home. Wow, you sure do a lot of walking!

There's bad weather in the forecast here & the winds are picking up. So far it's just raining & right around the freezing mark.

Merry Christmas, have a nice weekend & stay safe.

~ Jo ~😊

HI all!

Belle ~ thanks for starting the thread. Wow, you have a lot of work ahead, the results will be great!

I'm up 0.4 lbs up. Guess I shouldn't have bought those treats yesterday!

Happy Thanksgiving, have a lovely day & stay safe.

~ Jo ~ 😊

Hi all!

I just booked this cruise, my 1st for 2024. I'll turn platinum on it so look forward to that & the great ports it visits.

Going to be interesting, Carnival Italian style & from New York in winter!!

Hope to see others here soon.

Stay safe!

~ Jo ~ 😊